8 of the Scariest Animals for Pure Nightmare Fuel

The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) actually looks pretty cute, with its large eyes, koala-like nose and big ears. That is, until it starts to eat.

Unlike other primates, the aye-aye's incisor teeth grow continuously, like a rat's. What really makes aye-ayes terrifying animals, however, is their fingers. Aye-ayes have very long, thin fingers, which they use to locate wood-boring insect larvae.

They also use their fingers for something else: According to a 2022 article published in the Journal of Zoology, "This animal inserts the entire length of its extra-long, skinny and highly mobile middle finger into the nasal passages and then licks the nasal mucus collected.”

As the world's largest nocturnal primate, aye-ayes only come out at night — imagine happening upon its rodent-like teeth and spiderish fingers in the darkness!

If you've seen "Finding Nemo," you're familiar with the terrifying humpback anglerfish (Melanocetus johnsonii). Marlin and Dory's encounter with an anglerfish is even scarier than their run-in with a group of sharks. (Even the New York Times calls anglerfish "creepy.")

These deep-sea predators use a glowing ball that extends from their heads to lure prey. When they suddenly open their large mouths, the quick movement creates suction that draws the prey into their large mouths, where they are then trapped by large teeth that function like bars on a cage.

Afraid of spiders? You won't want to run into the Japanese spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi).

A 10-foot (3.11-meter) Japanese spider crab named Big Daddy holds the Guinness World Record for the widest crustacean ever found. Big Daddy's 4-foot-8.5-inch-long (1.43-meter-long) legs were also the longest crab legs ever.

In comparison, the largest spider — the Goliath spider (Theraphosa blondi) of South America — has a leg span of 11 inches (28 centimeters).

Known as the "murder hornet," the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) mostly kills honeybees, but multiple stings from this terrifying animal can be lethal to humans as well. In Japan, giant hornets kill 30–50 people every year.

A single sting isn't lethal, but it doesn't feel good: Entomologist Masato Ono told National Geographic in 2010 that the pain was "like a hot nail through my leg." Beekeeper Conrad Bérubé told the New York Times in 2020 that the hornets were able to sting him through his bee suit, and “it was like having red-hot thumbtacks being driven into my flesh."

Also known as the northern giant hornet, these insects are the world's largest hornets, growing up to 2 inches (5 centimeters) long.

Most people consider sharks scary animals. And deep-sea creatures are typically a little creepier-looking than their higher-elevation counterparts. So, a deep-sea shark is bound to be a scary animal.

Mitsukurina owstoni is so freaky-looking that its common name is goblin shark. This "living fossil" has an extremely long snout and jaws of sharp teeth that extend when it feeds. They can grow up to 20 feet (6 meters) long and are the only species of the 125-million-year-old Mitsukurinidae family.

Despite their odd appearance, Goblin sharks aren't a threat to humans. They live in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean and are rarely seen by humans. Their diet consists of deep-sea squid, other fish and crustaceans.

At 10 feet (3 meters) long, Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are the largest species of lizard alive today and some of the creepiest animals on the planet. Its massive size (adults weigh about 300 pounds or 135 kilograms), forked tongue and long, sharp claws contribute to its scary appearance.

The Komodo dragon's bite is lethal, but that's not because of its razor-sharp teeth. Its venomous bite, which inhibits blood clotting, can take down large prey, including cattle and other Komodo dragons.

Although attacks on humans are rare, Komodo dragons are extremely dangerous and have killed people.

The most terrifying creatures might be the ones you don't see.

Australia's reef stonefish is the most venomous fish in the world, but what makes it so dangerous is its ability to camouflage itself. The reef stonefish looks exactly like a rock or piece of coral — that is, if rocks and coral could look angry. Its mouth is stuck in a perpetual frown.

The reef stonefish hides among the rocks, then ambushes its prey, quickly gulping down unsuspecting fish and crustaceans. When threatened, the reef stonefish raises its dorsal fin spines, which are full of venom.

What could be scarier than maggots emerging from your skin? It's the stuff of horror movies. The scientific name for this phenomenon is myiasis, and it's more common than you might think.

At first glance, the human bot fly (Dermatobia hominis) simply looks like a rather large fly. It's 0.6 inches or 15 millimeters long, about twice as big as a typical housefly.

But these creepy animals are parasites that lay their eggs on mosquitos, knowing that the mosquitos will suck mammals' blood. When they do, the eggs burrow into the mammals' skin, where they feed for 5 to 10 weeks before emerging from their host and continuing their life cycle.

The human bot fly of Central and South America is the most famous insect to sneak its larvae into humans, but its not the only one capable of myiasis — and humans aren't the only victims. Other animals that host these creepy creatures include dogs, rabbits and livestock.